 The final item of business today is a member's business debate on motion 1-2210, in the name of Christian Allard, on north-east mosses. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put, and I would be most grateful if those members who wish to participate in the debate could press the request to speak buttons now, please. I call on Christian Allard to open the debate. Seven minutes, please. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. First of all, let me thank all the members who signed the motion, and the one who will participate in the debate today. When I came into this Parliament, I was introduced and commented upon and saying that I was rooted into the north-east. Maybe something I was rooted in is definitely the moss of Westill, even if it can be rooted into a moss that is not going to be that easy. I thought about talking about this debate pairing the two mosses, the one Arnold moss in Westill, the place where I live, and the constituency of my friend Dennis Robertson, MSP for Abynshire West, and, of course, the other one, which is the Portland moss, who is my friend as well, now Minister MSP for South Abynshire and North King Garden, Maureen Watt. These two moss have got a lot of things in common, and one of them, of course, is all the volunteers who work very, very hard to look after it and to show it off to the rest of the residents. I was myself a volunteer at one time into the Arnold Moss Adversary Group Committee, Presiding Officer. What attracted me the most was maybe two words, and the words were besty safari. It was a great way to advertise a free family event for our local natural reserve in Westill, and it was great to see all those children going to this besty safari and thinking that we're going to discover something extraordinary. In fact, it's something extraordinary because the moss is home to many different wildlife species, including roe deer, foxes, red squirrels, along with many small birds and insects. Of course, in a moss, you will find a habitat for frogs. The site through mainly woodland also has an area of open ground, and you can see some of the photos for the Westill one on the Facebook page, a Facebook which I opened a long, long time ago, and I will encourage anybody visiting the moss to take photos and to put them on the Facebook page and sharing them with everybody. So how active are these groups? The one in Westill is quite active. It's got a new food path some years ago which provides a proper link between Arnold Moss and the nearby Denermann Park through the Westill Industrial Estate, where a lot of people work, and of course where we have our local retailer, so we've got a lot of people from the Westill estate who go through the moss at lunchtime, and a lot of people's academy, people from the academy, local academy, who go through the moss to go to the local retailer, so a lot of people who are enjoying it every day, and hundreds of trees have been planted, which is not very good for the moss, but around the moss just to make sure that the new path is provided screening between the path and the road. And purples from the Westill Academy have helped to plant some of these trees, and they still installed a lot of bird boxes. They had us a ball with mentoring from the Westill men's shed, which is of course very celebrated in this parliament, this men's shed with a lot of men in retirement who are very much part of the community and the heart of the committee. And the pupil that was part of the John Muir award that the pupils were doing. And of course we've got some manpower, one manpower coming prisoner officer from outside, and it's provided by the community payback teams, which is a great benefit for them, and a great benefit for the community as well, a good way to interact with the local committee. And there aren't almost addressing group committee members. A local resident sadly said at the time that an almost local natural reserve is a rural wildlife event in the centre of Westill. It is a very special place, and we hope that local people will enjoy the natural environment and the wildlife to be seen as a site. I need to note Graham Allen as well, who's been the chair for many years before he stood down and would like to thank him for his work. And of course, as an almost will not be the great place that it is for everybody to enjoy, for it is not for the daily attention of another volunteer, David Kutz, who really has been the guardian of a natural reserve in Westill. I had the pleasure to meet Ellen Young, the King Garden and Man's Dairanger a few weeks ago regarding the Portland Moss Conversation Group, which is added by the founder, Denise Martin. She's on holiday just now and she couldn't make the debate, but she made sure to let me know about the land ownership issue which I'll come back later on about. From the Portland Moss Conversation Group Facebook page, you can see that pupils are working as well of the local primary school. The rangers are helding a regular evening deep pond, a survey in last April and conversation conservation volunteers are doing tree planting as well, not as the Moss itself, but their entrance to the Moss to make sure to protect the Moss again. The group were awarded a highly commended in the final of the 2014 ISBP nature of Scotland Awards in the community initiative category. And the volunteers are prepared slides for the presentation for today, but unfortunately very few MSP being here today because of this important week that we have in politics. We thought that it would be better maybe to delay it for another time. I would like to thank Emma Williams as well as the Environment Planner of Aberdechay Council who provides management for both the Moss's management plan, which one of them has been given by SPICE for four people to see. Race box are found in lowland areas of Scotland. The decomposition plant material forms large domes over the land, which then gradually grow with as it accumulates rainwater causing it to be raised above the surrounding land. Race box are increasingly rare in Scotland in good condition due to a range of factors in the way land is used such as farming, which is of course predominant in the north-east. Housing development has well looked at an impact and that's part of the truth for Portland and Westerly. President officer, as Scotland's rich ecology is dependent on our delicate environmental balance, the terrain of our land contributes to much of this environment composition. Twenty percent of Scotland and land mass is peatland with 5,000 hectares in the north-east alone. So peatland can store up to 25 times as much carbon as the rest of Scotland vegetation. It's playing a vital role to the carbon cycle and effectively regulating greenhouse gases. Much of our drinking water comes from peatland and it provides of course areas of recreation, which is a point of that of my motion from radiat stalking to angling to walking and many more activities. A popular ingredient to many molt whiskies as well. However up to 80% of Scotland's peatlands are damaged and some of the members will maybe reflect that in the areas later on. Damage boasts often no longer irrigate greenhouse gas contamination of the atmosphere and they can also contaminate water springs. The Scottish Government has done well, allocated 15 million to assist in the restoration of Scotland damaged peatland in 2013. It was followed by a recent additional 6.7 million of Scottish Government funds to the Scottish Natural Heritage to kick-start the restoration of peatlands across Scotland. To conclude, Presiding Officer, I just would like to talk about to come back to that idea of land ownership. I will seek the full support of the Scottish Government to promote community ownership for some of the small seas and the natural reserves where communities are involved as the Western and Portland residents are. There is an issue in Portland and I wrote to the people who own most part of the mosque to see if there is a way of community by health or maybe leasing part of the land. So I look forward to the contribution of other members and particularly on various issues and like David Kutz, I would like to think that we want all to be guardians of our heritage and the heritage of the peatlands areas all across Scotland. Presiding Officer, I turn to the open debate. Speeches of four minutes are so pleased and I call Rob Gibson to be followed by Stuart Stevenson. Thank you Presiding Officer. It's a pleasure to speak in this debate. I'd like to congratulate Chris John Allard for gaining this debate because we are a Parliament that takes our peat bogs and mosses seriously. The mosses of waters, slabs and stiles, the words of Robert Burns, people have been used to passing over those areas, have in history perhaps avoided some of them because they could be rather treacherous but today we've got a wider view of the way in which the mosses add to our landscape and heritage and the natural balance of nature in each area. At Arnhall and Port Lethan it's two examples of small local mosses that are being looked after by local people. I think that the last points that Chris John Allard made are very important. If we can empower local people to look after such small sites then we actually are going to gain conservation by local consent rather than have designations implied from above on people without their say-so. When they take ownership of those things then I believe that the land will benefit from that. It's clear from the reports by Aberdeenshire council that those small areas have the kinds of plans that people buy into but it would be even better if they had direct control at the most local level possible so I fully support Chris John Allard's views of those things. From my point of view in the rural affairs and climate change committee it's important to recognise that there are large amounts of work being carried out on understanding what the peat bogs do for us and in a report that the Scottish Wildlife Trust published at the end of 2012 identified 27,880 hectares of raised bogs, which would be lowland raised bogs, which some 2,000 hectares are in a reasonable condition. That's measured at the national level and we can't measure in each area just exactly how much the particular heathland or bog is adding to our store of carbon and how much they are helping us to reduce the loss of carbon but it might be possible through citizen science, through people who are involved to do simple measurements that can allow us some baseline data of areas such as Arnhall, for example. As we are dealing tomorrow with the subject of adding nitrogen tri-fluorite to our list of greenhouse gases, we are understanding all the more about the way in which those gases are being released in all sorts of ways our committee is dealing with that in the morning but already the greenhouse gas emissions data from 2012 shows that methane, which is released from peat in great amounts, is understood to be far more potent than we knew before and therefore understanding precisely what is being emitted from areas like the small raised bogs and heathland of Arnhall and so on is important to know eventually as well because it's having to be measured at a greater level outside of those areas. Let me say in my short speech that I'm delighted to support Crescent Allard. There's a wider interest in those small mosses and I hope that we're able to encapsulate even more information but indeed pleasure of people, not just in taking ownership of areas like this but using them for the recreation that she talked about so much. That's the first step to understanding and rebalancing in nature. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Crescent Allard's motion before us today invites us to recognise the importance of raised bogs known as mosses to local ecosystems with unique animal and plant life. I think that it is quite proper that we do that, in particular the Arnhill moss, which is also referred to in the motion, owned as it is by Aberdeenshire Council and operated by them. I think that in their management plan they describe it very well and capture what makes it important. It says that it stands as an isolated green island in a sea of urban development. That tells us two things. First of all, such provisions as there are to protect Arnhill moss and other similar ones are important for the diversity of the ecosystems that we have in Scotland. I've quoted before the first law of epigenetics. The more highly optimised organism is, for one environment, more adversely affected by a change in that environment. In other words, there is an intrinsic value in diversity that enables the environment to respond to change in a way that it would not if there was monocultures and limited diversity. The bog at Arnhill, as elsewhere, fulfills that purpose. More fundamentally, it also fulfills the purpose of supporting people in the local community of Westhill and, similarly, at Port Leithan moss at Port Leithan. Being next to nature is something that benefits human beings as well. Improves mental health provides opportunity for physical exercise and gives us access to a wide range of wildlife. Now, for my own part, I live 400 metres from reedside moss, and reedside moss is actually substantially bigger than either of the ones described in the motion. The Arnhill moss is about 10 hectares, reedside moss is approaching 100 hectares. The Arnhill local nature reserve is established in 1992. I have a parliamentary answer from Jamie Lindsay and the House of Lords from 1995, which shows that, as early as that date, reedside moss, my neighbour, was being considered for special protection, which was granted in 2004 under the Natura 2000 initiative from the European Union. Now, the sort of wildlife that we have, which I experience partly from my adjacency to the reedside moss is roel, foxes, weasels, rabbits and, of course, a wide range of bird life as well from the UK's smallest bird, the gold crest, which is a regular visitor to us, to one of our nearly, nearly our biggest birds, the golden eagle, which we get for a few weeks a year, adolescence as they leave the eerie that's about 20 kilometres away, and barn owls as well, who, of course, delight us overnight. So, a rich diversity of natural life, but more importantly, a rich diversity of plant life in bogs. The presence of water, the high degree of acidity, gives us a differentiation in the kind of life that there is in bog that is very important to support, the diversity upon which we should place great value. Now, they also form part of my family history. My father used to speak of his falling into a bog in the 1930s, wearing his kilt and full military uniform, and how that was something that he didn't particularly enjoy. I more recently found myself, when I was searching for a missing cat, going to reedside moss to see if the cat had got there. It was in December and I fell through the ice up to my waist, which is probably quite dangerous, the truth be told. The mosses that we have across Scotland, the raised bogs that support them, are a very important part of Scotland. I'm delighted that we're having this debate about the raised bogs, the mosses tonight. Although we have fewer numbers tonight, I hope that what we say tonight is noticed much more widely than perhaps the limited numbers that are here. I look forward with interest to hearing what the minister is going to do to help us to continue to enjoy the benefits of our local mosses right across Scotland, but in particular in Westhill and Port Leffen. I now invite Aileen McLeod to respond to the debate minister around seven minutes or so. I thank Christian Allard for raising the important issue and for securing time for this evening's debate on recognising the importance of raised bogs, known as mosses, and especially those in the north-east of Scotland. Many of the contributions that have been made by members this evening have been great illustrations of the benefits that our natural environment provides and how they can be recognised and enjoyed by communities across Scotland. The timing of tonight's debate is typical in that it falls within the United Nations international year of soils. I thank Rob Gibson, MSP, for hosting a reception in the Parliament at the end of March to mark the beginning of that year. That has been a fantastic opportunity to recognise the many benefits that our soils provide by diversity, support for economic activity, water quality and climate change mitigation to name an important view, but underpinning our very existence and quality of life. Raised bogs are an important type of our soils. Raised bogs are, in layman's terms, raised domes of peat, typically in a wider landscape of agricultural land use, and they need to be managed to avoid becoming scrubland and drying out. The Scottish Government has— Will the minister take an intervention? I wonder whether the minister would share with me that sometimes some of the issues that affect our bogs are what happens outside the designated areas when farmers perhaps put in new drainage that affect the wetness of bogs and the ability to access water or to take water away in an inappropriate way. I accept the point that has been made by Mr Stevenson. The Scottish Government has long recognised the importance of our peatlands. Last year, with the Scottish Natural Heritage, we consulted on our national peatland plan and set out the benefits of peatland. It highlights the actions that are and can be taken to support land managers to protect, manage and where needed to restore peatlands. Building on that consultation, I look forward to launching the final lines plan in the near future. The work by the community groups that have been highlighted here and their supporters is providing management and associated benefits. Raised bogs are a very particular environment, and the support of a range of species that are often not found elsewhere in Scotland, as we have already heard from Christian Allard. That makes them hugely fascinating places. I applaud the engagement with the local community to help to manage and use the important and special landscapes. The very fact that they are looked after by local people and the engagement with skills in the wider community is a tremendous result by the north-east mosses groups. It is an excellent example of the approach that we promote in the 2020 challenge for biodiversity and the approach that involves people in their local environment. We know that biodiversity is a key component of our lives and that involving local people, particularly young people, in that type of activity will help to foster a long-term desire to understand and care for our environment. It provides a practical first-hand opportunity to appreciate our natural environment and the many services that it provides. Although I have not visited those particular areas yet, I have seen the approach to managing a raised bog first-hand earlier this year when I visited the Scottish World Love Trust's reserve Kersgau moss, which is between Newton Stuart and Wicton, just off the A714 in Galloway, if anybody would like to visit it. My visit to Kersgau moss took me by surprise. I was surprised not just by the engagement that the Scottish World Love Trust volunteers and staff had with the site or the impressive and pioneering work that has been done to restore the site and its on-going active management, nor by being surprised by the value and benefits that the site provided. What surprised me, Presiding Officer, was all the positive reactions that I received on social media afterwards. Key for me was the connection that people could find for our bogs and wider peatlands and the benefits that they provided. Historically, peatlands have been low-key and under-recognised. Rob Gibson highlighted a very good point about the need to understand peatlands carbon contribution. It is an issue that we have been actively working on, including understanding wider issues such as methane. Land managers also have a particular role to play, but they require support from others. The positive recognition bodes well for the future, because 62 per cent of blanket bog, 58 per cent of raised bog and 69 per cent of fenn, marsh and swamp features on designated sites are in favourable conditions and others are not. Action is needed to improve the peatlands to maximise their benefits and contribution to Scotland. That is why we are highlighting work to restore peatlands under our priority projects for action in the biodiversity 2020 route map, which will be published soon. Community-based initiatives such as those two reserves are an opportunity, as I said before, for increasing engagement and understanding of the environment. The 2020 challenge recognises the role of biodiversity in providing education benefits, and it reflects the role of outdoor learning in the curriculum for excellence. The links between biodiversity and health, which is a point that Stuart Stevenson made when he reminded us that being nice to nature actually benefits us all. The route map builds on the good work that is already under way to promote the health benefits of the environment. That is twofold in terms of encouraging our increase. The minister would be more than welcome to come to Aberdeenshire West to see at first hand the mosses at Westhill. I am sure that the director at Westhill academy would be more than delighted to extend an invitation for you to come and see how curriculum works within his school. I would be delighted to come and visit some other mosses. I am more than happy if the member would like to extend me an invitation. In conclusion, I thank Christian Allard again for bringing this important issue to the chamber this evening. I very much welcome this debate. In doing so, Christian Allard has enabled us to highlight the benefits of a protected and managed natural environment. I applaud the effort of the Portland Moss Conservation Group and the Arnold Moss Management Advisory Group. In thanking members for their contribution in tonight's debate, I encourage others to consider what opportunities they might have for the areas that they represent in this regard. Thank you very much. That concludes Christian Allard's debate on north-east mosses. I now close this meeting of Parliament.